Second search for monk Joe Lynskey, shot and buried by IRA

Digging in 2015 did not uncover Joe Lynskey’s body, but the remains of two others were uncoveredNIALL CARSON/PA

Another search is to begin for a man abducted and killed by the Provisional IRA in 1972.

Joe Lynskey, a former Cistercian monk who joined the Provisional IRA, was kidnapped in west Belfast in August 1972 and became known as one of the Disappeared — 16 people abducted and secretly buried by republicans in the 1970s and 1980s. Preparatory work will start tomorrow to clear a small area of trees in Oristown in Co Meath with a dig due to begin within days.

The search is being led by the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims’ Remains (ICLVR). Geoff Knupfer, its lead forensic scientist and investigator, said: “We carried out an extensive search for Joe Lynskey in nearby Coghalstown in 2015. During that search…

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